Would it hurt me to eat the veggies used to make chicken soup?
I'm wondering, if I were too lazy to strain the veggies out of the chicken soup I made, would it hurt to eat them?
2nd related question...If I were too lazy to strain the soup to make it clear and pretty, would it hurt to eat it as is?
If I were making for a friend, I'd go the whole way, but I just want to know if it's just for myself, do I really need to strain, toss, use cheesecloth, and the whole bit, or can I just go ahead and eat whatever I want from the soup?
I'm using organic ingredients anyway so I don't see how there would be anything so bad in there that I'd be compelled to "must toss"...not sure about non-organic chicken....
But the reason why I'm posting is because I'm uncertain, and wondering if anyone here's an expert on this issue. Thanks!
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20 Comments:
Hurt? Nope. At worst it won't taste as good or have the same texture as it otherwise would, but who knows you may like it better.
ccbweb at 4:31PM on 12/08/08
It's not going to hurt you, but if you've cooked the veggies to within and inch of their lives, they aren't going to have much flavor left. If you've cooked them just until they're done or slightly overdone, they'll be fine.
dbcurrie at 4:36PM on 12/08/08
I always like to eat the veggies from the stock or soup since a kid and I'm still alive (I think) and I don't strain it because when I place in fridge overnight the crap marry's and it tastes even better the next day.
pjracz10 at 4:36PM on 12/08/08
How could it possibly hurt you? Seriously.
simon at 4:58PM on 12/08/08
I'm with simon. There is no way they could hurt you. They could harm your sensibilities, but they won't hurt you physically.
latteaday at 5:08PM on 12/08/08
assuming you mean from your stock, I echo dbcurrie: depending on how long you cooked them for they will have no flavor (but lots of fiber probably, it's like eating the pulp from a juicer).
if you really mean from your soup that you made from the stock that you made by cooking chicken parts and vegetables in water, I echo simon.
intheyearofthepig at 5:11PM on 12/08/08
Where are the realchiffonade and Hungryinhouston when you need them? We had a thread not too long ago about your favorite cook's treat; they eat everything from the veggies to the bones. Of course, they might be crazy. shhh...
Really though. If you can eat the stock, you can eat what's in it without harm.
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 5:22PM on 12/08/08
I don't strain mine out. I like them in there, onions, celery, carrots. Clear broth is for purists and when you are sick.
JerzeeTomato at 5:52PM on 12/08/08
I've never heard of anyone actually strainging anything out of chicken soup. I'm curious why you would want to? I mean aside from straining the bones out before adding the vegetables to make the soup.
thepirateking at 6:14PM on 12/08/08
**thanks for the responses. to clarify, yes I guess I'm technically making stock but it's also "soup" all in one go. Can someone explain JerzeeTomato's explanation of clear broth being for when we're sick? Because yes I'm making it to tend to the cold virus.
Also to explain the reason for the question is that I was told by someone to discard because it sucked up all the "dirty" stuff of the chicken. Is that the case? I don't mind if it's mushy and tasteless, but someone told me the veggies sponge up the dirty stuff so that's why you just toss it. That was the impression I got, was: discard dirty foam, and discard dirty vegetables which have absorbed like a sponge, all the other 'dirtiness'...
As obvious as it may seem to y'all, it's a helpful thread to me to qualm my 2nd guessings once and for all. More comments appreciated!
One last thing, WHAT's the primary purpose of discarding the foam? What I've been taught is "bad foam, away with you." But if I'm just doing this for un-gourmet home use, when saving stock for later use, or making soup for oneself, is it so important to discard the foam? We often do things without knowing why, and I'm the kind of person that likes to know why. So why do we discard the foam? What about the dirty looking chicken bits floating all throughout the stock...a few of you mentioned thus that it's indeed fine to leave it in there? Is it only a matter of presentation?
uclaumni00 at 6:53PM on 12/08/08
They'll be like mush but they won't hurt you. That's a great cook's treat! (And you can gnaw on the neck, too.)
therealchiffonade at 7:17PM on 12/08/08
There you are chiff!
Clear liquids when you're sick. That's what Jerzee meant.
No throwing up chunks.
Sorry. I tried to resist
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 7:59PM on 12/08/08
I like my chicken soup clean. I don't think there is anything harmful, just unappetizing. Once I've discarded everything that has given it's life and flavour, I then start adding soup vegetables and meat. If I'm going to use noodles, I cook and keep them separate, and add to hot soup when serving, to prevent overcooked pasta (yuk). I've been sick and all I really want is soup, and lots of it. I never seem to tire of it.
Slightly off topic, but if you use vegetables as a rack for large cuts of meat like pot roast, turkey, etc., you can mash those veggies (or puree in the food processor) and add them back into the gravy. You can do the same for some types of soups, too.
PerkyMac at 8:08PM on 12/08/08
Put the shells of a single cracked egg in the soup or stock while simmering and that will get rid of the foam
pjracz10 at 2:52AM on 12/09/08
@Perkymac never thought to puree the crap and throw into gravy, that sounds good, have to try it next time I make it, thanks.
pjracz10 at 7:55AM on 12/09/08
I was in my 20's before I learned that soup is sometimes strained. Neither of my grandmothers, nor my mother ever did it that way. So yeah, all that mushy stuff is fine to eat. BTW, these days, I strain and then add the carrots back in.
You get rid of the foam because it looks yucky. No other reason.
Kerosena at 10:44AM on 12/09/08
...sucked up all the "dirty" stuff of the chicken...
Not sure what exactly you're referring to... dirty stuff??? Could you elaborate?
As far as eating the veggies, meat, etc... if you like it, eat it. Personally, I find it completely flavorless, and the texture is... well... blech. But, personal preferences aside, it's all food... You'd eat it if were cooked any other way, right? Why would turning it into stock suddenly make it harmful?
Regarding clarity, foam, cloudiness, etc., if you are careful to never allow your stock to reach a boil, and resist the urge to stir it, then it shouldn't get very cloudy. Keep it at no more than barely simmering and keep your hands off. More often than not, you also won't have any foam if you follow this technique. If you do get some foam, and it bothers you, carefully skim it off the surface, but do not stir.
If you don't want to eat them, the best way to remove the solids without clouding up your stock is to carefully scoop out as much of the liquid as possible with a ladle. Avoid stirring up the solids and do not press down on them to get at the broth. Once the bulk of the liquid is out, carefully scoop out the larger solids, ladle out more stock and, finally, dump the rest of the pot into a regular mesh kitchen sieve over a bowl. If I'm using my stock for a brothy soup, I usually don't add this small amount of cloudier stock, just because it's not that attractive. I save it for things like gravy or bean soups. But I never go so far as to use cheesecloth, because I'm only concerned with the flavor, not how it looks. I never bother to clarify the stock for the same reasons.
LoCo at 12:27PM on 12/09/08
I always wondered my mom threw away all the veggies she used to make chicken soup...they looked good to me!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 5:11PM on 12/09/08
Like I said above I love those veggies and I would hire guards to watch over them, yes they are mushy and have aborbed all the yummies they have been simmering all this time and boy do they taste good, I may add a new batch of veggies but the old ones are for me.
pjracz10 at 6:01PM on 12/09/08
HMM, thanks for all your help, guys. The comment that gets me is the one that recommends not stirring. Interesting. I might try that next time...but I just can't see it preventing all the brown bits that are floating all within the soup...maybe I get the brown bits because I'm using chicken parts vs. a whole uncut chicken, and it's the exposed bone breaking apart?...Either way straining is just for looks and taste, (subjectively huh)? Good to know for certain now! I also am on the camp of liking to eat everything and not straining unless there was a really good reason for it; I don't mind the mushy texture at all. So thanks to you guys I can do that now with peace of mind AND save the extra time and effort! This is proving to be a very helpful website!!
uclaumni00 at 7:39PM on 12/11/08